GloFish

Would you like to own a genetically engineered pet? On January 5, you'll be able to — because the GloFish will go on sale. A fish that glows! Woo-hoo! They should cost about $5 each wherever they're sold.

Oh, except that they won't be sold in California.

Sam Schuchat, a member of California's Fish and Game Commission, supports his state's ban:

"For me it's a question of values, it's not a question of science, I think selling genetically modified fish as pets is wrong."

…

"Welcome to the future. Here we are, playing around with the genetic bases of life. At the end of the day, I just don't think it's right to produce a new organism just to be a pet. To me, this seems like an abuse of the power we have over life, and I'm not prepared to go there today."

(Note to the Associated Press: You misspelled his name. Great fact-checking job.)

Genetically modified pets should be banned because he feels it's wrong? Gee, it's so obvious now — all we have to do is feel, and the legislation practically writes itself! No need to go around justifying things with reason, that old-fashioned, inflexible, overrated and obsolete faculty. It's so much simpler and easier and doubtless more efficient to just follow our whims. Thank you, Mr. Schuchat, you've made it all so clear.

Oh, wait… what if my feeling is different — maybe even opposite — from yours? How will we ever resolve our differences? (If there's going to be a law involved it seems like we've got to resolve them somehow!)

The right place to start would be a couple philosophy books (which you could feel in your hands) that explain, using reason, why feelings are a wholly inappropriate way to base one's ethics.

Environmentalists, are you listening? Come on, you need to at least try to put together a logical argument. It's not sporting for me to go after guys like this, and I do try to be a good sport.